Bioeconomy Institute

Biobased Products

What is a biobased product?
(Definition used for Federal Biobased Product Preferred Provider Program (FB4P)

A product determined by the Secretary to be a commercial or industrial product (other than food or feed) that is composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological products or renewable domestic agricultural materials (including plant, animal, and marine materials) or forestry materials.

What is a biobased product?
(BMA definition)

• Relies on plant or animal materials as the main ingredient.
• The plants or animals utilized are a renewable resource.
• With some exceptions, generally do not contain synthetics, toxins or
environmentally damaging substances.

What is the difference between biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts?
(EERE Biomass Program - http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/bioma..._faqs.html)

In practice, we tend to use these three different terms for three different end uses - transportation, electric power or heat, and products such as chemicals and materials. "Biofuel" is short for "biomass fuel." We use the term "biofuels" for liquid fuels for transportation, such as ethanol and biodiesel that can be purely from biomass such as B100 or, in part, such as E10 (the number after the letter represents the percentage of biodiesel or ethanol in the fuel). We tend to use "BioPower" for "biomass power" systems that generate electricity or industrial process heat and steam, such as from combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The term "bioproduct" is short for biomass products, and can be used to describe a chemical, material, or other product derived from renewable biomass resources.

Do biobased cleaners work as well as traditional cleaners?
(Bioeconomy Development - http://www.bioeconomydevelopment.com/faq.htm)

Be aware that there several factors that affect how well a cleaner or solvent works: temperature, agitation, and dwell time, and product strength. For example, if you are faced with a particularly tough cleaning job, using a little elbow grease or allowing the product a little time to soak in and do its job can make the tough job pretty easy. Most biobased cleaners are very effective if you understand how to use them.

Are biobased products helpful to the environment?
(FB4P Program Page - http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov/public/faq.cfm)

We expect that most of these products will have a more benign effect on the environment, will be biodegradable, and will have lower disposal costs and cleanup costs than the fossil energy based products they will replace.

In addition, making products from biologically produced carbon containing material, rather than extracting new carbon from mines or wells, enables us to better manage the carbon cycle, reducing the amount of new carbon released into the atmosphere.

What is the source of the FB4P?
(FB4P Program Page - http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov/public/faq.cfm)

Section 9002 of the 2002 Farm Bill provides for this program to stimulate the Federal procurement of biobased products.

Why is the FB4P important to agriculture and to rural America?
(FB4P Program Page - http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov/public/faq.cfm)

Increased use of biobased products will create a new source of demand for the production of U.S. farms, ranches, and forests. Moreover, more of the initial post-production processing and manufacturing of these biobased products will take place in rural areas, close to where the feedstocks are produced. In this way investment in businesses and new job formation will be stimulated in these rural areas, helping to spur the process of rural economic development.

How can a manufacturer/vendor let Federal agencies know about the biobased products they market and qualify the products for preferred procurement under the FB4P?
(FB4P Program Page - http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov/public/faq.cfm)

Manufacturers/vendors can voluntarily post contact and product information for the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program on USDA's informational website, http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov. That website will be used by Federal agencies seeking to identify biobased products to meet their procurement needs. The website will provide a broad range of current information on the program.